Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has questioned claims of political leadership in Rivers State, faulting Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s declaration of himself as “001” in the All Progressives Congress, APC, membership register in his ward.

Fayose spoke during an interview on Arise TV, yesterday, drew parallels with the leadership situation in Lagos State, arguing that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu cannot lay claim to be the political leadership of the state, insisting that such authority rests with President Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos.

On the political crisis in Rivers State, Fayose said President Tinubu will not sacrifice the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, for Governor Fubara.

Fayose’s comments elicited immediate response from embattled factional chairman of the APC in Rivers State, Chief Emeka Beke, and the Coordinator of Initiative for Transparent Strategy and Good Leadership, Mr. Chizy Enyi, who urged Fayose to concentrate on maintaining his relationship with Wike and leave Rivers State alone.

This was as the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, faulted Wike’s claims that political parties across the country were rallying under his leadership in a “rainbow coalition” to back President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. IPAC added that some political parties are independently considering the option of giving unconditional solidarity support to Governor Fubara’s re-election in 2027 by not fielding a candidate.

The renewed feud between Wike and his anointed successor, Fubara, last week snowballed into initiation of impeachment proceedings against Fubara by 26 of the 32 members of the Rivers State House Assembly. The 26 legislators are loyal to Wike.

The impeachment move has evoked mixed reactions in the polity with a host of groups including the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF, Rivers APC and PDP among others asking the lawmakers to drop the removal proceedings.

VP’s recent view on who leads APC states

At the recent defection of some PDP governors to the APC, Vice President Kashim Shettima said defecting governors had become leaders of APC in their various states.

He said so when Peter Mbah (Enugu) and Douye Diri (Bayelsa) left the PDP for APC. According to him, Governor Babagana Zulum is the leader of the APC in Borno, even though he is the vice president; Governor Umo Eno, leader of the APC in Akwa Ibom, even when the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is from the state; and Mbah and Diri, leaders of APC in Enugu and Bayelsa, respectively.

However, the vice president was silent over who leads the APC in Lagos where President Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu hail from.

National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru had recently stoked controversy when he declared Fubara as leader of the party in the state.

When contacted on Tuesday, he declined several calls made to his known telephone line.

Why Tinubu is leader in Lagos not Sanwo-Olu

To underscore his point, Fayose cited the recent impeachment and reinstatement of Lagos State House of Assembly speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, describing the reversal as evidence of Tinubu’s overriding influence.

His words: “The president that I know hates ingratitude; he controls Lagos from the palms of his hands.

For instance, the speaker was impeached, and another person took over in Lagos State. The president, without saying a word, caused the system to restore that speaker because it’s an affront on the president, who is the leader.

“Will you tell me Sanwo-Olu is the leader in Lagos? Let him come out and say he’s the leader in the state. There are certain things that are said to cause aesthetics. Don’t let it get to your head.”

Fayose also described the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State as a political lifeline for the governor.

His words: “The emergency rule was all-winning for Governor Fubara because by now he would have been history. This is because the moment you’re impeached, you are out of the way and can’t contest.

“If you read the context of President Tinubu, he took Governor Fubara to the cleaners, and it’s time for Governor Fubara to learn, the way I learnt after my first tenure as governor.”

In December 2025, Fubara defected from the PDP to APC. During the flag-off of the Rivers Airport Bypass Project on December 12, he publicly declared his loyalty to the ruling party and President Tinubu.

“Today, I am very happy. I am not just a member of the All Progressives Congress, I am the number one. I have collected my (membership) card, and the form is 001. So, from this moment, I am there (in APC) with all my chest and heart. The message is clear: we are going to do everything to make the 2027 election for Mr President a smooth ride in Rivers State.

“How do we do it? It is with all of you here. With your support. The only way we can continue to tell Mr. President thank you is to support him,’’ Fubara had said.

His defection followed the movement of 15 Rivers State House of Assembly members, including Speaker Martin Amaewhule, to the APC.

However, Wike later dismissed Fubara’s leadership claim, insisting that APC registration is done at ward and local government levels and that there was no statewide “001” position. He added that leadership within the party is not determined by holding executive office.

“He (Fubara) decamped to APC with whom? What is 001? Let me tell you, there’s nothing like 001 in the state.

“You register in your ward and local government, so if you are 001, it’s in your ward. There’s nothing like 001. There’s nothing like what I have registered in the state as 001. Everybody registered in their own ward. You could be the first person to register, but that’s not your position.

“So, there are some exceptions to the rule, so let’s not go into other things. See, leadership is not because I’m a governor. Leadership is not because I’m a minister. You must have something that makes you a leader,” Wike had said.

Tinubu won’t sacrifice Wike for Fubara

Fayose, apparently agreeing with the FCT minister, said President Tinubu will not sacrifice Wike for Fubara amid the lingering political crisis in Rivers State because Wike remains more politically relevant to President Tinubu than Fubara, insisting that the President has little incentive to abandon the former Rivers governor.

“But let me say this to Nigerians, the Asiwaju that I know, will not get rid of a Wike for a Fubara. Wike came from Rivers to give support to President Tinubu,” Fayose said, arguing that Wike’s continued political value laid in his performance as FCT minister and his ability to deliver electoral victories for the ruling APC.

“Wike is in Abuja performing, we’ve never had it so good in Abuja, even a blind man can’t deny that. The local governments in Rivers, APC won them courtesy of Wike. The coming local government (election) in Abuja, APC will still win it. So, what else will the President want from Wike?” he queried.

Commenting on Governor Fubara’s reported move to seek the President’s intervention, Fayose suggested it was an indication of the governor’s political arrogance.

“If Governor Fubara has gone to meet the President (in France), then it shows he needs help. When you don’t praise God, when you refuse to humble yourself and look for peace, you’ll just be running helter-skelter. What he’s looking for is inside his pocket.”

Fayose also weighed in on the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, dismissing claims that President Tinubu was responsible for the party’s woes. “The challenges in the PDP is not the fault of Asiwaju. Failure in my home, God forbid, is not the fault of my neighbour,” he said, and described the PDP as a party undermined by internal divisions and self-inflicted conflicts.

“The PDP caused themselves an insurrection. It’s a house divided against itself and the nature of man is survival of the fittest,” Fayose added.

‘Wike should focus on being national leader’

Speaking on the issue, a former influential member of the National Working Committee NWC of the APC has advised Wike to deemphasise his concentration on the affairs of the APC in Rivers, saying the minister was a national leader, irrespective of the party he belongs.

The party chieftain, who said he did not want his name mentioned because of his relationship with Wike and Fubara, said if Wike decided to formally join the APC, he would be a national leader, not confined to the state alone.

He said: “Even though Tinubu is a national leader, right from the time in ACN and then APC, he did not call himself a state leader. He is a national leader, and that is the line Wike should toe – as a national leader and not a state leader, because you are now making yourself feel like without the state you cannot live again.

Maintain your friendship with Wike, leave Rivers alone — Beke, Enyi

However, Chief Emeka Beke, who saw Fayose’s claim as baseless, said: “Fayose is not from the state and he cannot be talking on issues concerning the state and its leadership. Fubara is the governor of Rivers State and he remains the 001 of APC in the state.

“Fayose is not from Rivers State and he is not a member of the APC. He does not know what we are saying,” he said

Also, Mr. Chizy Enyi said the former governor of Ekiti State was speaking to protect the interest of Wike, his friend and urged him to concentrate on maintaining his relationship with Wike and leave Rivers State politics alone.

His words: “With all intent and purposes, Ayo Fayose cannot be correct. Fubara is the governor of Rivers State, hence he is the leader of not just the political party he belongs to, but also the leader of the state in all ramifications

“Fayose cannot come to Rivers State to tell us what to do and what not to do. When he was governor, he was the leader, and now that he is no longer the governor, somebody else is the leader in that state.

“Just like President Tinubu is the leader in Nigeria, assuming he is not the president, he won’t be the leader. So, Fayose is just pondering on a rational belief that he is saying A and doing B. And the irony of it is that Godfatherism does not work in Rivers State.

“That has also not been applied. Hence, Wike cannot be the first to start Godfatherism. You may be instrumental in helping somebody to a position. Nobody can be made a governor or president by an individual. It must be a collective effort. Because the election that brought or that will bring the person is not an event, it is a process. And inasmuch as it is a process, people participate in those processes.

“My advice is for him to concentrate on how there will be development in Rivers State and Ekiti State and not who is the leader or not the leader. I’m advising Fayose to continue to maintain the relationship with Wike but allow peace to reign in Rivers State, knowing that we are all part of the state.”

IPAC slams Wike’s ‘rainbow coalition’ claim as misleading

Meanwhile, the IPAC has faulted Wike’s claims that political parties across the country were rallying under his leadership in a “rainbow coalition” to back President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

IPAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Egbeola Martins, in a statement, described the minister’s assertion as unfounded and misleading, insisting that he lacked the mandate to speak for parties.

The council said at no time did it authorise Wike or any individual to determine or announce the political preferences, alliances or electoral choices of registered political parties at the state or national level.

“IPAC notes with utmost concern the recent claim credited to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to the effect that all political parties will allegedly align under his leadership in a so-called “rainbow coalition” to support President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

“We categorically state that this assertion is unfounded, misleading and exists only in the imagination of the FCT Minister. At no time has he been granted the mandate by IPAC or by any registered political party to speak on their behalf or to determine at either the state or national level their political preferences, alliances or choice of candidates for the 2027 elections,” Martins said.

According to him, political parties are independent institutions governed by their constitutions, structures and internal democratic processes, adding that decisions on coalitions, alliances or endorsements can only emanate from duly constituted organs of the respective parties.

The IPAC spokesman also dismissed the notion that parties were being mobilised en bloc behind any individual or agenda, warning against what it described as attempts to appropriate the collective will of political parties for personal political ends.

While rejecting the minister’s claim, the council said it was aware that some political parties were independently considering unconditional solidarity support for Governor Fubara.

“Contrary to the misleading narrative being advanced by the FCT Minister, IPAC is aware that some political parties are independently considering the option of giving unconditional solidarity support to His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara in Rivers State.

“This includes the possibility of not fielding governorship candidates as a voluntary sacrifice aimed at restoring peace, stability and effective governance in the state, values currently under strain and of paramount importance to the good people of Rivers State.

“These considerations are entirely the decisions of the concerned parties and are driven solely by collective solidarity with the aim of promoting lasting peace,” Martins said.

The council stressed that no individual, regardless of position or influence, has the right to hijack or speak for political parties.

Last week, Wike urged other states to emulate Rivers State’s ability to build a broad-based, cross-party political alliance for the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027, declaring that no state currently matches what he described as the Rivers “Rainbow Coalition” model.

The minister made the remarks during a thank-you visit to Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he said politics in the state had transcended party affiliations and was anchored on collective unity and shared purpose.

He argued that Rivers State’s political strength was rooted in a tradition of cooperation and consensus, which, according to him, had helped the state remain stable despite sustained pressures and attempts to weaken its political structure.

Wike also expressed optimism that political stakeholders would eventually harmonise their strengths on a single platform ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying such alignment would further strengthen unity and strategic focus. (Vanguard)

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